Eye the works of Millard Sheets on a special LA Conservancy tour.

Receive the latest worth-the-drive updates in your inbox

POMONA PAINTER: While we have, at last count, oh, 200 or so distinct municipalities in the general LA-IE nexus, not every area or neighborhood or suburb boasts its own distinctive look or mien. Sure, there's a certain California-ness to all the regions, but some, at first glance, could be substituted for a nearby neighbor (no names named; we all have our opinions here). But then there are those communities that boast one-of-a-kind looks. Maybe the through-line isn't running through every building and artwork, but the style is notable enough that it defines a city. Such is the case with Pomona and Claremont, which look so much like, well, Pomona and Claremont in some places that one could be forgiven for describing them as "Pomona-y" and "Claremont-esque." And one could also look to artist and architect Millard Sheets, and the people he inspired and worked with back in the mid-century, for more.

SUNDAY TOUR:LA Conservancy will be doing just that on Sunday, March 18; the afternoon-long event and tour is part of Pacific Standard Time, the multi-month art extravaganza happening at locations throughout SoCal. There will be a panel that includes Mr. Sheets' daughter and others who worked with him. There will be looking at structures and artworks he created and oversaw. There will be a visit to a Sheets-imagined sanctuary. In short, you'll get to know the person who truly gave two of our cities their distinctive flair. If you know the cities, you know that flair: the flat-roofed, bank-like piles that are at once a bit austere but clean-lined and bright; the mural-fronted squares and malls, and all of the wonderful paintings loaded with California imagery and oversized, lushly rendered natural features. A general tour ticket is $30.